/m/oakland

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It might only be one batter or one pitcher, but still, you need them to do well no matter what team they play for—yes, even if the team is the dastardly New York Yankees.

I guess I never learned this lesson. I have never in my life, nor will I ever, draft a Yankee. Of course, I don't think I've ever paid attention to any of my fantasy leagues after mid-May, so I suppose I might just be a poor fantasy league player.

I guess I never learned this lesson. I have never in my life, nor will I ever, draft a Yankee. Of course, I don't think I've ever paid attention to any of my fantasy leagues after mid-May, so I suppose I might just be a poor fantasy league player.

Yeah, that is not the type of competitive advantage you can normally afford to just give away (especially if the team you hate is a good team, obviously.)

I've always had the problem in fantasy football of hoping the players on my team do great even when they face my real life teams (Giants/Patriots/Bills)*

* Yes, this is a weird collection of teams, but I was born in Buffalo and the first title game I remember being allowed to stay up and watch was Norwood wide right, my father is from NYC and I grew up watching Giants games on his lap and being both his remote and beer fetcher, and I've lived in MA mostly since 1988. I come by that weird pastiche of fandoms honestly. And I can't ####### stand the Jets, Dolphins, or Cowboys.

I don't care who you root for or why, but how can you root for two teams in the same division? It seems unpossible.

In my case I grew up more or less midway between Cleveland and Cincinnati. I was a Browns fan, then the Bengals entered the AFL as an expansion team when I was 13, so I had an NFL team and an AFL team, which was great. Then the stupid merger placed them in the same division 3 years later. I lean Browns but still like the Bengals.

It might only be one batter or one pitcher, but still, you need them to do well no matter what team they play for—yes, even if the team is the dastardly New York Yankees.

I guess I never learned this lesson. I have never in my life, nor will I ever, draft a Yankee.

Even if you don't have a player on the Yankees (or any other team, for that matter) on your fantasy roster, you my still find it in your best interests to root for that team; especially if your fantasy league is head-to-head.

For example, if your fantasy opponent has a starting pitcher facing Team X, then Team X's success at the plate is good for you. Likewise, when your opponent's top hitter(s) play against Team X, it's in your best interests if Team X's pitchers do well that night.

but how can you root for two teams in the same division? It seems unpossible.

I have ties to both places since childhood, and neither have really been good at the same time. If they had a long history of division rivalry then yeah, it'd be much harder. But both teams stunk before I was born and when I was very young; then the Bills were awesome and the Patriots were terrible; then the Bills were good and the Patriots got good; then the Patriots were awesome and the Bills have been terrible. At this point being a fan of both is locked in, even if they became bitter rivals I'd still like the Bills. I'd add that the wildcard helps, in the late 1990s both the Patriots and the Bills could make the playoffs. My support for both would have been more sorely tested if they were constantly playing each other for a single playoff spot, IIRC the only times that one team kept the other from the playoffs via head to head results was 1999 (when the 11-5 Bills made the playoffs with 2 victories over the 8-8 Patriots) and 2002 (when neither team made the playoffs with the 8-8 Bills losing twice to the 9-7 Patriots).

I'm in two fantasy league playoffs right now, and I'm pissed at Mark Teixeira for being out for the season in the first league and banking on CC Sabathia in the other. At the same time I hope that the Yankees lose every game not started by CC, and to get enough wins from other pitchers so CC can go 8 IP with 10 Ks and still take the loss. It's an odd thing.